1. Chapter 6: Momentum Analysis of Flow Systems
Eric G. Paterson
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University
Spring 2005

2. Note to Instructors
These slides were developed1, during the spring semester 2005, as a teaching aid for the undergraduate Fluid Mechanics course (ME33: Fluid Flow) in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Penn State University. This course had two sections, one taught by myself and one taught by Prof. John Cimbala. While we gave common homework and exams, we independently developed lecture notes. This was also the first semester that Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications was used at PSU. My section had 93 students and was held in a classroom with a computer, projector, and blackboard. While slides have been developed for each chapter of Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, I used a combination of blackboard and electronic presentation. In the student evaluations of my course, there were both positive and negative comments on the use of electronic presentation. Therefore, these slides should only be integrated into your lectures with careful consideration of your teaching style and course objectives.
Eric Paterson
Penn State, University Park
August 2005
1 These slides were originally prepared using the LaTeX typesetting system (
and the beamer class ( but were translated to PowerPoint for
wider dissemination by McGraw-Hill.

3. Introduction
Fluid flow problems can be analyzed using one of three basic approaches: differential, experimental, and integral (or control volume).
In Chap. 5, control volume forms of the mass and energy equation were developed and used.
In this chapter, we complete control volume analysis by presenting the integral momentum equation.
Review Newton's laws and conservation relations for momentum.
Use RTT to develop linear and angular momentum equations for control volumes.
Use these equations to determine forces and torques acting on the CV.

4. Objectives After completing this chapter, you should be able to
Identify the various kinds of forces and moments acting on a control volume.
Use control volume analysis to determine the forces associated with fluid flow.
Use control volume analysis to determine the moments caused by fluid flow and the torque transmitted.

5. Newton’s Laws
Newton’s laws are relations between motions of bodies and the forces acting on them.
First law: a body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion remains in motion at the same velocity in a straight path when the net force acting on it is zero.
Second law: the acceleration of a body is proportional to the net force acting on it and is inversely proportional to its mass.
Third law: when a body exerts a force on a second body, the second body exerts an equal and opposite force on the first.

6. Choosing a Control Volume
CV is arbitrarily chosen by fluid dynamicist, however, selection of CV can either simplify or complicate analysis.
Clearly define all boundaries. Analysis is often simplified if CS is normal to flow direction.
Clearly identify all fluxes crossing the CS.
Clearly identify forces and torques of interest acting on the CV and CS.
Fixed, moving, and deforming control volumes.
For moving CV, use relative velocity,
For deforming CV, use relative velocity all deforming control surfaces,

7. Forces Acting on a CV
Forces acting on CV consist of body forces that act throughout the entire body of the CV (such as gravity, electric, and magnetic forces) and surface forces that act on the control surface (such as pressure and viscous forces, and reaction forces at points of contact).
Body forces act on each volumetric portion dV of the CV.
Surface forces act on each portion dA of the CS.

8. Body Forces
The most common body force is gravity, which exerts a downward force on every differential element of the CV
The different body force
Typical convention is that acts in the negative z-direction,
Total body force acting on CV

9. Surface Forces
Surface forces are not as simple to analyze since they include both normal and tangential components
Diagonal components xx, yyzz are called normal stresses and are due to pressure and viscous stresses
Off-diagonal components xy, xz etc., are called shear stresses and are due solely to viscous stresses
Total surface force acting on CS

10. Body and Surface Forces
Surface integrals are cumbersome.
Careful selection of CV allows expression of total force in terms of more readily available quantities like weight, pressure, and reaction forces.
Goal is to choose CV to expose only the forces to be determined and a minimum number of other forces.

11. Linear Momentum Equation
Newton’s second law for a system of mass m subjected to a force F is expressed as
Use RTT with b = V and B = mV to shift from system formulation of the control volume formulation

12. Special Cases Steady Flow Average velocities
Approximate momentum flow rate
To account for error, use momentum-flux correction factor 

13. Angular Momentum
Motion of a rigid body can be considered to be the combination of
the translational motion of its center of mass (Ux, Uy, Uz)
the rotational motion about its center of mass (x, y, z)
Translational motion can be analyzed with linear momentum equation.
Rotational motion is analyzed with angular momentum equation.
Together, the body motion can be described as a 6–degree–of–freedom (6DOF) system.

14. Review of Rotational Motion
Angular velocity  is the angular distance  traveled per unit time, and angular acceleration  is the rate of change of angular velocity.

15. Review of Angular Momentum
Moment of a force:
Moment of momentum:
For a system:
Therefore, the angular momentum equation can be written as:
To derive angular momentum for a CV, use RTT with and

16. Angular Momentum Equation for a CV
General form
Approximate form using average properties at inlets and outlets
Steady flow